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able is always welcome; even if it means using emoti-
cons.
• Offer suggestions, not critiques. "I don t get it"
can steer the conversation into a dead end. People
should always suggest an alternative instead of simply
sharing their dislike for an idea.
(Adapted from "Communication Tips for Global
Virtual Teams" by Paul Berry.)
Don't give feedback
when you don't need to
While feedback should be a regular part of work,
not every behavior warrants input. For example, you
shouldn t offer corrective feedback just because some-
one has a different work process; even if it stresses
you out. So before you deliver feedback, think about
what you re trying to achieve. And avoid giving it
when:
• You do not have all the information
• It concerns something that the recipient can t
control
• The person appears to be highly emotional or
especially vulnerable
• You don t have time to explain it thoroughly
• It s based on a personal preference, not a need
for more effective behavior
• You haven t come up with a solution for how
the person can move forward
(Adapted from "Giving Effective Feedback" from
the 20-Minute Manager series.)
Make it easier for your
team to keep learning
Leaders want employees to continue to learn and
develop new skills, but this wish will fall flat if people
aren t given extra support.
You might encourage employees to sign up for
extra training and courses, but not many people will
have time to engage properly, or at all, if their work-
loads remain the same and their studying has to be
done after hours. If you truly want to promote more
learning among your team, start by giving people
opportunities to develop at work.
Give them stretch assignments and more autonomy.
Make sure your team has access to the resources they
need to learn and grow---including people.
Use mentoring to connect younger stars with sea-
soned executives---both can learn from each other.
Establish regular check-ins to provide feedback, and
measure progress through 360 reviews.
You can also fuel development by giving rewards
such as promotions and stock ownership.
(Adapted from "How to Keep Learning and Still
Have a Life" by Lisa Burrell.)
Be sceptical
of your data
Managers shouldn t take important analyses at
face value, even if it is easy to be seduced by good
news. In fact, when it comes to data, err on the side
of scepticism. For example, if a company sees that
its Web site traffic is up, it might be tempted to cel-
ebrate and continue doing what it s doing. But if
something looks too good to be true, it probably is.
A deeper dive might reveal that mobile traffic is
actually flat, and if that company is interested in
mobile platforms, it should look closely at its strategy.
Always dig as deeply into the data as you can, make
sure it is accurate and make sure you understand the
real-life processes that produced it.
Seek confirmatory data sources and develop new
ways to explore the conventional wisdom. When the
time comes to make a decision, do so. Then see what
happens and re-evaluate.
(Adapted from "When It Comes to Data, Skepticism
Matters" by Thomas C Redman.)
@2015 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.
Distributed by the New York Times Syndicate
Greater engagement
starts with leaders
It s important to cultivate a belief in the
power of engagement across your entire
company. And the first step is making engag-
ing leadership part of your culture. To drive
this, focus on four key steps. First, measure
engagement levels through a survey. You
can t manage what you don t measure. Next,
actively develop engaging leaders.
Use workshops and coaching to help man-
agers make engaging behaviors more habit-
ual. Then, select engaging leaders to fill
high-impact roles.
Use tools like 360 reviews to assess and
predict whether someone can improve his
engagement skills.
Finally, reward the engagement you
achieve. Tying incentives to engagement
survey scores can be tricky, but you need
to get serious about recognising leaders who
are engaging; and holding accountable those
who are not.
(Adapted from "What Makes Someone an
Engaging Leader" by Ken Oehler, Lorraine
Stomski and Magdalena Kustra-Olszewska.)
Prioritise good
communication on your
global team
Global virtual teams are becoming more
common. And because it s harder to keep
people in different regions of the world on
track, you need to make sure that people
are communicating as effectively as possible.
Here are some ideas to try:
• Make e-mail a priority. Instant mes-
saging relies on everyone being there at the
same time. Email, on the other hand, can
be totally asynchronous as it fits time zone
differences and keeps teams in rhythm
together.
• Be intentionally positive. It s easy for
things to sound negative in an e-mail.
Sarcasm and humor can come across the
wrong way, but being friendly and approach-
BG12 COMMENTARY
BUSINESS GUARDIAN www.guardian.co.tt FEBRUARY 2015 • WEEK ONE
TIPS & TALKING POINTS
www.hbr.org
www.tdc.co.tt
The Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Accommoda-
tion Upgrade Project is designed to provide an incen-
tive in the form of a partial reimbursement of the cost of
upgrade works undertaken to eligible tourist accommo-
dation. This is to bring them to a rst class level to meet
and/or exceed the Trinidad and Tobago Standard
Requirements for Tourist Accommodation.
Incentive Bene ts:
• Eligible properties will receive a reimbursement
grant as a proportion of the cost of refurbishment
for improvements/upgrade works to the interior/ex-
terior of the property.
• Eligible Properties with 1-5 guestrooms (Small
Tourism Accommodation Properties) will receive a
20% reimbursement up to $75,000.
• Eligible properties with 6-150 guestrooms (Hotels &
Guesthouses) will receive a 25% reimbursement up
to $750,000.
Eligibility Criteria include but are not limited to:
Properties with 1 to 150 guest bedrooms; Properties
must be in operation for more than four years; Proof of
ownership; Approval from the Town & Country Planning
Division; Board of Inland Revenue and Value Added Tax
Clearance Certi cates; Not currently in receipt of other
grants from the Government.
Eligible Upgrade Areas may include but are not
limited to: Guest bedroom and bathroom; Lobby;
Restaurant and Kitchen; and Exterior.
Investment Facilitation Department
Tourism Development Company Limited
Level 1, Maritime Centre, #29 Tenth Avenue, Barataria, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Tel: 675-7034/5/6/7 • Website: www.tdc.co.tt
For more information on accessing the incentives, please contact:
Trinidad and Tobago
T rism Acc modati Up ade Pr ect